Installing 2 HD with 2 Different OS

[usfhugs88]

I just built a computer with a 40GB HD & installed XP Pro in it (I had that as my MASTER drive).
I pulled out my old Hard Drive from my other computer which is a 30GB HD that has an OS of Windows ME ( I set up that Hard Drive as my SLAVE). My coputer boots on my IDE-1.

I need my music files and document files from my old hard drive (30GB) but it still has that Windows ME OS.
Every time I boot up my system, the computer boots up on Windows ME instead of the XP Pro.
I changed the IDE ribbons and everything but it does not do anything. How can I make my computer boot up on XP Pro and be able to keep my documents and music files???

I am flexible, I can have diff. Drives or copy and paste the files to the new hard drive. I just need an advice on how to save and preserve this files. I can wipe out the Windows ME system for all I care but not the files...
Need advice.....

 

[wolluf]

If your XP drive is master and bios set to boot from first hard drive, XP should boot. I'm surprised ME even works as you've moved it between machines.

Does the XP boot if ME is disconnected? If it does, check all your connections, jumper and bios settings. It might be worth setting both drives to cable select, and putting XP on the end connector (so its master).

If it doesn't - what's the message? (you might need to check that its partition is actually active - it won't boot otherwise).

 

[usfhugs88]

The XP does boot alone if you dont connect the other HD with ME in it. I have the XP as my master and the ME as slave and it still boots in Windows ME.

I do not get no warning, it just boots from there.
In addition, I have a partition on my XP hard Drive as one whole. However, the ME hard drive has two partitions, 1 with 23GB on it and the other has 6 GB on it. The files that I need is on the 23GB Hard drive. The 6GB Hard drive is empty.

 

[wolluf]

Have you tried changing the boot sequence in the bios (or making the XP the slave). There have been a number of posts like this, where machine seems to boot wrong drive - eg, set it to boot from drive 2 (or even 3 or 4 if it allows) first to see if mobo is just 'configured' wrongly. It would seem you have a slight glitch with your hardware.

Other than that, you could try a boot manager (I use

http://www.boot-us.com

- free for personal use). If you use boot-us, install its windows GUI on the ME machine, and then set up boot menu from there.

 

[elucero]

I had a problem like this before. What i did and what was easiest is i pluged the Windows ME hard drive onto the CD-Rom cable, put it on the slave and make sure the jumpers on the hard drive are also put to slave. ME SUCKS ASS!! It's a good thing that you upgraded to XP because ME isn't supported by Microsoft any longer!

 

[SQLBaby]

Go to BIOS and in slave hard drive change it None (mean there is no hard drive), then restart your computer, it will reboot with XP while you can read write files on your other hard drive.

Knowledge is a key of success.

 

[FXEF]

All of the previous post are correct but I have done the very same thing with one of my boxes. I'll explain how I did it.
1) Set jumpers on both drives to "cable select".

2) Install XP drive on master connector of ribbon and ME drive on slave connector.

XP should be your C:\ drive and boot. ME drive will be a drive letter such as E, F, G, H. This will depend on how many other drives you have in your box, mine was F:\ but your may be different. You stated that the ME drive was partitioned, so you will have two drive letters for that drive.

You will not be able to boot the ME drive, but will be able to read and write files to it. It will have the ME OS on it, you just can't run it. If for some reason you want to boot the ME drive, simply swap ribbon connectors, then ME will boot and XP wiil not.